An aspect the Edmonton Oilers must look at
Cruising to a 13-0 record, breaking the sports record for straight wins, and coming off a strong victory, especially against a tough team. The Edmonton Oilers are on the verge of a tear in the NHL, where the fans will be treated to a spectre.
The Edmonton Oilers are playing extremely well going the distance to a point that the top players may need to be rested
An aspect to watch for the Edmonton Oilers will have to be time management for the players and how well they will adjust to the playoff atmosphere. The rest the players will need after playing an aggressive two months of hockey will have to be looked at indefinitely to the point that certain games will have to be without the likes of Conner McDavid one game and Leon Draisaitl the next game, especially against teams that will not be contending this upcoming 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Not only those two players will need maintenance days, which is unheard of, however, but it would be best to utilize this tactic to prepare for the post-season. Not to mention that this aspect may indeed be a considerable strategy to use.
Players like Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will have to lead the way with Evander Kane and Mattias Ekholm doing the heavy lifting on the team when it comes to leadership. There would not be a void in the standings and would indeed give the team an added edge to well-maintain its star players to a tee.
Also, providing traction to the roster as well as utilizing this strategy to be more agile down the final stretch of the season. It would give the players more mental confidence to play with, not to mention giving the defense the tweaking it needs if there were repercussions to the roster as well.
The Edmonton Oilers must prepare for the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
To prepare for the post-season, the Oilers team must work on the gameplay to date. Not that it needs to be worked on, but, the big test will come against teams like the Vancouver Canucks especially if they meet in the post-season in the second or going down the stretch to the third round of the playoffs.
Minutes in a game are huge factors too, where it does take a toll on the players and may perhaps affect their gameplay down the stretch of the season. This will help prevent injuries at inopportune times and give the team the added comfort of having a healthy set roster.
The most important aspect the Edmonton Oilers will have to work on will be keeping the top six healthy for the next three months and more importantly beyond that. The Oilers have demonstrated they can dominate in the offensive zone, and now they showing their defensive capabilities, it is evident that the players are already well-toned to perform anywhere and everywhere in the NHL. Giving them the added edge to compete.